“God said, [to Abraham],
‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love,
And go to Moriah.
Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering
On one of the mountains that I will show you.
Genesis 22:2
Think back to a Moment in Time when God drew you aside . . . He had something to tell you that was important, and He wanted your full attention. He probably had to orchestrate that “Moment” by using circumstances that brought you to focus on Him . . .
away from the normal distractions of Life. It may not have been a happy experience.
Abraham had experienced several Moments with God which had significantly impacted his Life Journey. But this would be the most personally gut-wrenching Encounter of his life. And it would not only impact him, but it would deeply involve his son. . . his most precious, beloved son. It would surely devastate Isaac’s Mama Sarah. At that time, Abraham had another son, Ishmael, from Sarah’s handmaid Hagar. But God specified the “miracle son” of Sarah and Abraham.
Any loving parent knows the feeling of dread when he or she realizes that there is a decision to be made that will significantly impact our precious children. It is very difficult to weigh our own personal decisions in life, but the added dynamic of knowing that my choice will surely affect those I love most, and that the outcome will not be in my control makes it even more gut-wrenching.
God’s words to Abraham must have been the most horrific words any parent could hear.
Abraham had become well-acquainted with God’s Guidance and Directives in his life. Although he had made mistakes along his Journey, he had learned to trust God with his life and future. God had blessed His beloved Abraham, despite many challenges and heartaches along the Journey.
Abraham’s most precious Gift of all was his son, Isaac. And now, suddenly, God is asking him to give Isaac back.
This was not going to take place through a terrible accident, or on a battlefield, or some natural disaster. . . the death would be at the hands of the one who loved him most.
How does a human being follow God in a Moment like that? Our most basic human instinct . . . Believer or not . . . is to protect my child. See him live, watch him grow, . . . become the man or woman that God has Plans for and Loves. This is the child that God put into my life . . . into my heart!
Throughout all of the years that Abraham had walked with God, through all the twists and turns of life, successes and failures, Abraham had learned Who this God truly IS.
He had walked through Life with God. God had always been faithful. Not easy. . . but faithful. This would surely be the most difficult “Walk” this father would have to take, especially because its deepest impact would be on that beloved son.
Abraham had a choice. God did not just take Isaac. Abraham had to bring his precious son to God and intentionally hand him to God. Alone. A Moment between a father and his God. A son was to be deeply impacted… face Death itself. A mother was to surely be devastated. God had orchestrated this Moment. No Explanation. No Promises or Plan “B” included. This was, at its core, a matter between Creator God and one man. The ripples of that Moment in Time continue to us today. Divine Intervention came into the Picture. Obedience and Total Surrender, Trust in God, Redemption, Salvation, all took Center Stage in that Moment.
We have the advantage to see some of the Effects of that Daddy’s obedience and trust in God. But did Abraham see that? Sarah? Isaac? All three were deeply impacted by the shared, extremely unique experience. We have the advantage of reading and seeing “the rest of the Story.” But that little family did not. Abraham had to put one foot in front of the other as he made his way up that mountain with his precious Isaac.
How could he do it?
Abraham had been walking with God for a long, long time. He had learned through experience that Walking God’s Path in life was not easy. It was not “safe.” It was not comfortable, painless, nor popular. And no one else could take that walk for him.
But God was already at the Destination, waiting for Abraham and Isaac to arrive. He knew the Outcome, and that the challenges of that lonely Climb would evaporate when Abraham had his Moment with God at that Altar.
Keep walking.
Eyes on the Destination.
God is already there,
Ready and waiting for YOU to come near.
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